Puzzle
by IncurablyAwesome
Summary: The Millennium Puzzle mysteriously disappears one day, only to be replaced by an eccentric young girl with golden hair. Just why has Yugi's beloved Puzzle suddenly decided to become human?
1. Transformation

I'm sorry I'm sorry...*bursts into tears* I need to stop starting new stories *cries* please, I'm sorry...I was so determined not to*sob*

* * *

><p>The Battle City tournament had ended barely a month ago.<p>

Now in possession of all three Egyptian God cards, Yugi's life had settled into a state of relative normality; at the very least, nobody was out to get revenge on the Pharaoh.

Yugi was slumped over his desk, half asleep. He had sat down an hour ago with homework on his mind, but it just hadn't happened; he was much too tired. At the very least, it was Friday; he would be able to work on his homework tomorrow. Maybe even ask his friends for help.

"Yugi?"

Bleary-eyes, Yugi lifted his head off his desk, blinking. "Oh, it's you, Pharaoh." He sighed. "I can't seem to motivate myself today. I'm just so..." He yawned. "...tired."

Offering him a sympathetic smile, Yami leaned against Yugi's desk, peering at the open textbook. "You shouldn't try to force yourself; we both know you've earned a rest. Just finish it tomorrow."

Yawning again, Yugi reluctantly nodded. "I can't see myself finishing it tonight." Frustrated, he closed the book. "I was falling asleep, wasn't I?" Without waiting for the spirit to answer, Yugi stuffed the book back into his bag. "What time is it? Six o'clock," he answered himself.

He got to his feet and stretched, his joints popping. After walking around aimlessly for a few seconds, Yugi sat down on the foot of his bed.

He looked at Yami, who was still leaning against the edge of Yugi's desk. "...So...you still haven't remembered anything, Pharaoh?" he asked hesitantly.

Uttering a long sigh, Yami shook his head. "Nothing; it's all a complete mystery to me..." He closed his eyes. "It's like I'm...looking into a clear, deep lake with my memories of being Pharaoh on the bottom; I know they're there, and I know there is so little blocking them from me, but they're just out of my reach."

Yugi stood up and walked over to the spirit, placing a hand over his. "You don't need to worry, Pharaoh," he said with determination. "You know I'm always right here, and so are Tea, Tristan and Joey; we're going to get your memories back no matter what."

The Pharaoh smiled. "I know we are; thank you, Yugi."

"No problem." Yugi picked up his deck from the desk flitting through it until he found the three Egyptian God cards. He held them up to the light.

"We know that these are part of the answer," he said thoughtfully. "We just don't know what yet."

"It's a puzzle," Yami agreed.

Yugi looked sideways at him and grinned. "Then I guess it's right up our alley."

* * *

><p>It wasn't like most of Yugi's life, when he could take his mind off his worries by simply trying to solve the Millennium Puzzle; he had already done that. Now, he had nothing to do except ponder.<p>

He had gone to bed early, but he couldn't find sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up in bed, gazing out his window.

He couldn't sense the Pharaoh nearby; he was somewhere else, somewhere in the recesses of the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi was alone.

He picked up the Puzzle from its place beside his bed and looked at it through the dim moonlight.

He shared Yami's mind; it was all too easy for Yugi to know how the ancient spirit felt, knowing that there was so much to his past that nobody knew. He was grateful to have Yugi there, but the mystery of his past was an emptiness that could not be filled easily.

Yugi turned the Puzzle over in his hands thoughtfully, trying to imagine his other self back then, sitting atop the throne of Egypt, a mighty and powerful Pharaoh.

That mighty and powerful Pharaoh was dust now. However much his spirit had lingered these five thousand years, Yami's body was long gone now. Or maybe mummified and lying in a tomb somewhere. Yugi smiled to himself at the idea of Yami as a mummy.

Yugi held the Millennium Puzzle up to his face. Really, it and the other Millennium Items were the only material things left from Yami's time as Pharaoh. The idea was enough to send shivers down his spine; this very Puzzle had been held by the spirit that now lay within it, five thousand years ago.

One thing was certain; whatever had happened back then that had caused the Pharaoh to lose his memories, the Millennium Puzzle that Yugi now held had been right in the thick of it.

Yugi yawned and reluctantly put the Puzzle back onto his bedside table. Thinking about the dilemma would do no good now. Yami was right; Yugi badly needed some sleep. Sighing, Yugi closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, gradually falling asleep.

The Millennium Puzzle started to glow.

* * *

><p>Yugi was woken by an uncomfortable glare penetrating his eyeslids. Groaning, he forced them open; it couldn't be morning already!<p>

He looked out the window and sure enough, the sun was already shining. He rubbed his eyes; he shouldn't be tired now - he had gone to bed early...

He groaned again, hauling himself out of his bed. Today was Saturday; he was going to do some homework and meet his friends at eleven o'clock. Instinctively, he reached for the Millennium Puzzle.

His hands didn't find it.

He had groped aimlessly around the surface of the table for several seconds before he realised what was wrong and looked.

The Millennium Puzzle was gone.

Before his brain had time to process this, however, he was hit by a sudden force, empowered by the element of surprise. He let out a gasp as he was knocked back onto his bed.

"_Yugi!_" The girl on top of him squealed. "You're finally awake! I'm so happy; I didn't want to wake you, because you were obviously tired, but now you're awake! I'm so happy!"

She was quite literally squeezing the breath out of him. Yugi had to gasp for air.

Instantly, she released her hold on him and sprang backwards, letting him go. "I'm so sorry, Yugi! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

Yugi was still struggling to get his breath back. "Wha- who-" he spluttered.

"Here, let me help!"

Suddenly there was a vice-like grip around Yugi's arm, hauling him to his feet.

Finally, Yugi managed to break free and actually get a look at this...girl.

Her hair was long and golden - and not simply 'golden' as another word for 'blonde', either...it was literally gold in colour; a glittering sheen of metallic yellow, streaked with a few slightly darker parts. Her skin was olive-toned and slightly tanned.

Her eyes were her most striking feature; they were a bizzare shade of red. Upon a more specific examination, Yugi realised that they were actually black, with many large flecks of red running through them, giving them a somewhat eerie appearance. Her eyes alone were enough to give Yugi goosebumps.

She was completely naked.

"Argh!" Yugi yelled, his face entering a category that could only be listed under 'watermelon'. He covered his eyes instantly. "What are you doing here? Put some clothes on!"

The girl cocked her head to one side, confused. "Hm? Wh-"

"Erm..." Yugi looked around - anywhere but at her. "What happened? Why are you here?"

"You never used to ask this many-"

"Did I get drugged last night?" Yugi didn't even recognise his own voice; it was high-pitched with embarassment. "Oh, god; did _Yami_ do something last night?"

She laughed. "Of course not; it was my idea."

Yugi was pulling open his draws. He tossed the first shirt his fingers found at her.

She held it at arm's length with two slender fingers. "What do I do with this?"

"Put it on." Yugi stared at the ceiling. "Please. Right now."

"But I don't usually-"

"Just do it!" Yugi begged. He wondered what he was going to do about pants; she looked about the same height as him - tiny - but...well, she was a _girl_. Where were her clothes? Had she just walked in here like...that?

"Well, okay...if it makes you happy. I like making you happy, Yugi!" She winked at him and pulled the shirt over her head. Yugi's face turned an even brighter shade of crimson.

"Erm...here," he said, tossing her his blanket. "C- cover the rest of yourself."

She frowned, but obeyed; wrapping it around herself.

"Is it okay now?"

"Y-" Yugi cut himself off. "Wait, what? No! Who are you? What are you doing in my room?"

She blinked. "I'm always in your room. Except when you're not; then I go with you."

Yugi crossed his arms. "I think I'd know if you did that."

She nodded, excited. "Yep; of course you do! You're my Yugi!"

Yugi looked taken aback. "..._Your_ Yugi?" he asked, confused.

She grinned. "Mm-hmm!" She nodded, her long golden hair bobbing around. "You're mine - and I'm yours. You were the only one who ever solved me."

"...Solved you?"

"Of course, silly! Don't you remember me? I'm the Millennium Puzzle!"

Unexpectedly, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him again. "So what are we waiting for? You were going to finish your homework!"


	2. The Puzzle and Fruit Loops

"Please let me go!" Yugi wasn't used to whining; it didn't come naturally to him.

The 'Millennium Puzzle', had been clinging to him incessantly for at least ten minutes now. She was literally on his back, her arms and legs wrapped around him like some kind of human limpet.

She hadn't given him a chance to get a word in over her relentless talking; it was quite literally impossible to speak over, "Yugi, what's the matter? I don't get it! Yugi, can we go outside? Oh, that's right; we're leaving at eleven! Yugi, why haven't you started your homework? Yugi, I'm hungry!"

At Yugi's last comment, however, she instantly backed away, the blanket dropping from around her shoulders again, Yugi blushed, turning around. "P- can you please just pick that up again?"

The Millennium Puzzle - Yugi grimaced; he couldn't believe he had actually just called her that, even in his head - picked up the blanket again and wrapped it around her near-naked bady. "Okay, Yugi! If it makes you happy!"

They suddenly fell into silence.

"Who are you?" Yugi asked quietly.

She blinked, confused. "I already told you - the Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi braved a glance at her. She had indeed covered herself up. "How? The Millennium Puzzle is..." He hesitated. "Well, it's not...a person." He couldn't bring himself to say 'girl'.

She sighed, frustrated. "You always call me that - 'it' - it isn't very nice."

"Um..." _How do you respond to that? _Yugi wondered. "So, you're telling me you've...turned yourself into a person?"

The Millennium Puzzle shook her head. "No, silly, of course not! I'm still the same me - I've just taken human form. Nothing's changed! You're so silly, Yugi."

Yugi hesitated. "The Millennium Items can do that?"

She nodded again in that way that made her golden hair start bobbing. "Of course; we were people too, once."

Yugi just stared at her. "You...were?"

Suddenly, she froze.

It was as though she had just said something she hadn't meant to. Her unusual red-black eyes clouded over with worry. "Oh, ah...kind of. Not really. Sorta. Ish. A- anyway!" she threw in shakily. "What are you so worried about? I'm still the Millennium Puzzle - I just wanted to talk to you...that's all." She looked down. "It gets so lonely...having you and the Pharaoh around so much, but not being able to talk to you."

At this, Yugi felt his heart soften. He could only imagine what such an existance must have been like. Hesitantly, he took one of her small, petite hands in his own. "Well, you're here now..."

And then she was grinning cheesily again. "Mm-hmm! Yep! So what are we going to do now? Are we going to do the homework first?"

Something that she had said earlier suddenly sunk into Yugi. "Hang on," he said suddenly. "The Pharaoh?" He stared at her. "You know him?"

She looked confused. "Of _course_ I do; he lives inside me, remember? Look, I'll show you!" Without waiting for a reply, she hurtled herself at Yugi again, flinging her arms around him.

Only this time, her tanned, olive skin was glowing gold.

* * *

><p>"Pharaoh?" Yugi asked hesitantly.<p>

It hadn't felt like a particularly unusual switch; the absense of the Millennium Puzzle around his neck made it a little daunting, but when he found himself standing beside his own body in spectral form, he realised what had happened.

"Yugi," Yami said, looking at him.

Satisfied, the Millennium Puzzle released her hold on Yami, but still remained holding his hand with the hand that wasn't keeping the blanket in place.

"See?" she asked. "I'm still linking you two; it's exactly the same as it was before. As long as I'm around, you'll be just as connected as you ever were!"

Yugi stared at his other self as though he expected something to be different. He didn't know what to say.

"This complicates things a bit," he began, addressing the Puzzle.

She cocked her head to one side. "Why? It was never a problem having me around before."

Yami spoke this time. "Yugi can't wear you to school. He can't carry you around everywhere. It's going to be more difficult to always have you with us."

"Oh, that's easy! I'll just enroll at your school. Problem solved!" She grinned, jumping up and down like a little girl.

"What?" Yugi stared at her. "You...can't do that!"

"Why not?"

There was a pause. Yugi and Yami looked at each other.

"Then it's settled! Come on, let's get some breakfast! I haven't eaten in five thousand years!"

* * *

><p>Just as the connection between himself and the Pharaoh had always been stronger when he was wearing the Puzzle around his neck, Yugi found that the bond between them was stronger when the Puzzle was holding his hand.<p>

Back in his own body with Yami beside him, Yugi was being dragged down the hallway to the kitchen. "Your grandpa will understand; he's the one who found me, so he knows all about how special I am," the Millennium Puzzle was saying. "I can't wait to meet your friends! I mean, I've already met them, but still. They're so nice! I especially like Joey - he wore me once before, remember?"

"Yeah..." Yugi said, lost in thought.

"We can't exactly ask her to change back," Yami whispered. Both of them knew it was pointless; she would be able to hear them no matter what. The whispering was pure tokenism.

Yugi nodded. "We don't know the full story; it might have been really difficult. And she seemed so lonely..."

They both sighed. "Even so, she's better off the other way, isn't she?" Yugi wondered, looking at her. She was watching them over her shoulder, still refusing to let go of Yugi's hand.

Yugi wondered how they were talking about her so casually when they knew she could hear them. Maybe they were simply accustomed to talking about her; they had never hesitated in talking about the Millennium Puzzle before - perhaps it had somehow seeped into their subconscious.

Yami was looking at her too. "It's like you just said; we don't know the full story. Maybe she had a reason."

"Maybe," she said sourly. She tightened her grip on Yugi's hand. "So come on, already! Let's go!"

Yugi instantly felt horrible for talking about her so openly behind her back. Whatever else he was used to thinking, she was still a living thing; he just hadn't known it until now.

* * *

><p>The Millennium Puzzle wasn't a fussy eater; when Yugi plodded into the kitchen and started opening cupboards, she was already making for the fruit bowl. Within three minutes, she had devoured an apple and half a pear, stuffing them into her mouth ravenously.<p>

Yugi stood a few feet away, a box of cereal in his hand. He shifted his weight uncomfortably. She had clearly never learned any form of etiquette, or simply hadn't used them in so long that she had forgotten. "Um...did you want some of this?"

She froze mid mouthful. "What is it?" she asked, covering the food in her mouth she was still eating.

Yugi looked at the box. "Fruit Loops."

She swallowed. "Works for me," she announced happily, taking the box and stuffing a mouthful of dry cereal straight into her mouth.

Yugi let her guzzle and sat down at the table, watching her.

She had found a way of typing the blanket Yugi had given her around herself in a manner similar to a toga, and was now able to move freely about with both hands ready for use.

Yugi wondered what he was going to tell his Grandpa when he woke up. It wasn't as though having a..._girl_...in the house was something normal.

With the Puzzle standing on the other side of the kitchen, he could feel his bond with the Pharaoh was weaker. He wished they could go somewhere alone, then instantly regretted it; if she was the bond that linked himself and Yami, and Yami could hear his thoughts, it was only natural that she could hear them too.

She seemed too preoccupied with her discovery of Fruit Loops to be worried about what Yugi was thinking, however; she was already tipping the box backwards, consuming the last of what had formerly been a half-full box. "That was _awesome_, Yugi!" she gasped, dropping the empty box. "Is there any more?"

"There's another box in the cupboard."

She dived for it, knocking several tins of food over before finally emerging with the unopened box of cereal. She didn't hesitate before stuffing her face again standing in the middle of the kitchen floor.

"You're going to get sick if you keep..."

The Millennium Puzzle stared at him with wide, pleading eyes.

Yugi melted at once. "O- okay...you can eat more."

She pulled out another handful of Fruit Loops, spilling most of them over the kitchen floor. "Thank you! I love you, Yugi!"

Yugi felt his face redden. "Er, okay...um...thanks." He hesitated, wondering how she expected him to reply. "I...love you too?"

She covered her mouth while she spoke. "'Course you do; you grew up with me. I'm your treasure."

Yugi stared at the table. "Yeah...I guess you are."

After a moment, she kept guzzling Fruit Loops.

"So you got a name?"

She nodded, spilling cereal everywhere. "The Millennium Puzzle; why? You already knew that."

Yugi drummed his fingers against the table absentmindedly. "I need something to call you by."

She frowned, confused. "The Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi sighed. "I can't call you that; I'd be, 'Look out, there's a car about to run into you, Millennium Puzzle!'. You'd be dead."

She frowned. "Why would there be a car about to run into me? Cars don't run; they have wheels."

"Well I-"

"And besides, if you just yelled, 'Millennium Puzzle, move!' it would relay the message much quicker."

Yugi laughed. "Okay, I'll try this again; for the sake of convenience, you need a nickname."

It suddenly clicked. "Oh, I see! A _nickname_! Like how Joey calls you 'Yuug'! Why didn't you say so?" She didn't wait, and fed herself another handful of Fruit Loops, thoughtfully. "How about 'Mizzle'? Like 'Millennium' and 'Puzzle' put together! Okay, I'm Mizzle!"

Yugi laughed again. "You may need something a little more...inconspicuous; something more normal."

"Not Mizzle?" Her face fell into a pool of crestfallen self-pity. "Please, Yugi? _Please_? _Pleeeeeeease_!"

Yugi tried to harden up. "I just don't think it would work."

"M- M..." She screwed her eyes shut, thinking hard. She started bonking herself on the head. "Think, think, think...that's Winnie-the-Pooh, isn't it, Yugi?" She opened her eyes. "What about 'Winnie'?"

Yugi shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Mmmm..." She bit her lip. "Mill..."

"Millie?" Yugi offered.

She gaped at him. "What kind of a name is 'Millie'?"

Yugi held up his hands. "Just a suggestion."

She stared at him in utter disbelief as though he had just insulted her. "Oh, you think I'm too chicken for a name like Millie! You think you're taunting me!"

Yugi blinked. "Wh..."

"I'll show you who's chicken! From now on, you actually have to call me 'Millie'! Hah!" She grinned wickedly. "You didn't think I'd say yes, did you?"

Yugi just stared at her.

'Millie' laughed. "It's your own fault."

"There's...nothing bad about the name 'Millie'..." Yugi said quietly.

"Don't bother, Yugi! My mind is made up; you have to call me Millie."

"O...kay?"

"But all your friends have to call me 'Mizzle'!"


	3. Cleaning and Egypt

Yugi tried to reassure himself with the knowledge that Millie would have eaten an entire box of Fruit Loops even if he had warned her about sugar highs, and that there was nothing he could have done to stop her from entering her current state of...hyperactivity. The reassurance didn't work.

The floor was littered with stray cereal, apple cores and the contents of the flour bag she had spilled whilst looking through the pantry. Yugi was grateful that she hadn't discovered the fridge yet.

She was currently running about the entire upper level of the house; it was all Yugi could do to make sure the door to downstairs was locked so that she couldn't find her way into the main shop.

Solomon was not a light sleeper, but there was only so much noise Yugi could handle before he began to wonder if his Grandpa was ever going to hear it.

Yugi was chasing after Millie, who was currently bolting back into Yugi's bedroom to examine the view from the window. "Hey, Yugi!" she yelled. "Yugi! Look at-"

Yugi stopped in the doorway, panting. "Wait...a second...please..."

She widened her eyes. "Oh!" She bit her lip anxiously. "I'm sorry! Am I being a nuisance? I'm so sorry! How can I help? I'm sorry, Yugi!"

Yugi sighed, unable to stay mad at her. "It's okay, Millie; I guess...it's a very new thing, being able to eat, and run around."

She nodded excitedly. Then, before Yugi could say more, she glomped him again. "I love you, Yugi!" she squealed, squeezing the breath out of him.

"Erm..." Yugi blushed. "C- can we just clean up the kitchen?"

She released him. "The kitchen is where the food is, right?"

Yugi instantly regretted asking for her help. "...The very same."

"Then hells to the yeah!" She darted past him, out the door. "I've always wanted to say that!"

* * *

><p>Despite her complete inability to handle anything for more than a minute without trying in some manner to either break it or dance with it, Millie was obviously genuinely trying to assist Yugi in cleaning the kitchen. He managed to set her at sweeping the Fruit Loops and flour off the floor while he cleaned and dried the dishes.<p>

"So..." Yugi hesitated. "Are all the Millennium Items...female?"

Millie shook her head. The light dusting of flour that had settled in her golden hair clouded around her face like a veil of smoke. "Just me, the Millennium Necklace and the Millennium Scales." She frowned. "I think."

"Are all the Items friends?"

She shook her head again. "We don't really speak to one another...for obvious reasons. A lot of the time since we were first created we've been separated in one way or another. Some of us are ememies, some we hardly know, others are closer because they're together more. Like the Necklace and the Rod, that Marik and Ishizu had; or the Scales and the Key."

Yugi leaned against the kitchen sink, looking at her while he dried a bowl. "What about you? Do you have...friends?"

Millie sighed. "I don't really know..." She looked down. "I spent most of my life in a tomb. Before that..." She bit her lip. "I guess I was friends with the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Necklace." She looked as though she wanted to say more, but held it in. "But the Millennium Ring...we never got along. I didn't trust him."

Yugi was instantly on alert. Those same three Items were upstairs in his bedroom, and the Millennium Puzzle knew it as well as he did. "Why didn't you trust him?"

"Well, he..." She hesitated. "I was worn by the Pharaoh, and the Ring was worn by...a friend of the Pharaoh. But the Millennium Ring...favoured somebody else as his wearer."

"Who?"

Millie was still staring at the floor, gazing into space as ancient memories came flooding back to her. "I- I...um...he was my...um..."

"Millie?" Yugi asked gently.

Suddenly, she laughed. "I cleaned up the floor; didn't do a very good job, though, did I? How do you pick it up once it's in a pile? The dust pan and brush - I'll get it." She brushed past Yugi and opened the cupboard under the sink.

Yugi felt his spine prickle, and looked to his left to see Yami, looking back at him.

As he met his other self's deep, red eyes, he knew that they were thinking the same thing.

_Just what was the Millennium Puzzle not telling them_?

* * *

><p>When Millie was off zipping around his bedroom like a butterfly and Yugi was crouched over his desk, Yugi could barely feel the Pharaoh's presence. Fortunatly, it meant that Millie wouldn't be able to hear his thoughts, either.<p>

Yugi wondered why he was keeping secrets from her - she was still the Millennium Puzzle; he had never kept secrets from it - her - before now, had he?

But then again, Yugi hadn't known that she was a conscious entity until that morning.

He noticed that she had already developed a habit of asking him questions, only to answer them herself without pausing: "Yugi? What time is it? It's half past nine. Yugi, what are you doing homework about? Algebra."

While she nit-pickingly examined the contents of his wardrobe, Yugi hesitantly pulled out the bag that contained the other three Millennium Items in his possession.

Marik had given him the Rod and the Ring at the end of the Battle City finals, while Ishizu had given him her necklace during the tournament.

Yugi looked at the Necklace and the Rod with a new light. So they were 'alive'? And they were...friends, with his Puzzle?

Yugi picked up the Millennium Ring. He hadn't dared to touch it since Marik had given it to him, after everything it had put him through.

Millie had said something about...the Ring 'favouring' a different wearer. What could she have meant by that?

He knew that the Millennium Puzzle had been worn by Yami during his time as Pharaoh. And now he knew that the Ring had belonged to Yami's friend, whoever that was. But the Ring hadn't liked Yami's friend, and...what?

Something had happened, in which the Millennium Ring had somehow...betrayed, Yami's friend?

It would explain why Millie didn't 'like' it - him. Perhaps Millie hadn't trusted him from the beginning and had seen the Ring's betrayal before it had happened. And then what? She hadn't been believed?

Yugi's thoughts fell onto the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, Bakura's darker half, who had been sent to the Shadow Realm during Battle City. Was he somehow connected to the Pharaoh's - and the Millennium Puzzle's - history in Ancient Egypt? It would make sense...perhaps he was the Pharaoh's friend. Judging by the hatred he harboured towards Yami, that was not the case.

The other wearer, whom the Ring had 'preferred', then? It made more sense.

Yugi sighed. There was still so much he didn't know.

One thing was clear: whatever had happened five thousand years ago, Millie knew everything about it; she and the other Millennium Items had all been right there in the thick of it.

Replacing the Millennium Items in the bag and sliding them back under his desk, Yugi looked at Millie again, who was on her knees, sorting through Yugi's wardrobe, muttering something under her breath.

Another thing was also clear: she didn't want to tell him about it just yet.

Yugi looked at his fingers. He would just have to be patient; she had changed herself into a human for a reason, and Yugi trusted that when the time came, she would reveal that reason.

After all, she was the Millennium Puzzle. And Yugi had always trusted the Millennium Puzzle.

* * *

><p>"Quick, hide!"<p>

"Wh-"

Feeling more guilty than he had ever felt in his life, Yugi slammed the closet door closed with Millie inside. "Shh!"

The silence only lasted for a moment before Solomon Moto opened the door to Yugi's room.

"Morning, Grandpa!" Yugi said, smiling weakly.

"Good morning, Yugi," Grandpa replied, his eyes scanning over the room as though something was out of place that he couldn't lay his finger on.

"Would you be able to watch the shop when you get back this afternoon? I have somewhere I'd like to be."

Yugi didn't break his hesitant smile. "S- sure, Grandpa; no problem!"

"Thanks, Yugi." Grandpa left.

Yugi opened the door. "You okay, Millie? I'm sorry; that was unfair."

Millie scowled, looking up at him from lying on her back on the floor of the closet. "Why didn't you just tell him the truth? I mean it's not like he's ignorant about the whole 'Ancient Egyptian spirits and magical Millennium Items' camp."

Still feeling guilty, Yugi helped her up. "It's just easier this way."

"You'll have to tell him eventually," she pointed out, dusting herself off.

Yugi knew it was true; if Millie insisted on remaining human, he wouldn't be able to hide her in his bedroom forever.

Millie just shrugged. "Actually, never mind!" Suddenly, she was bright and peachy again. "I'm sorry - I'll be more co-operative next time. I'm sorry!"

"You don't need to apolo-"

"I don't? Great! So when are we leaving? Joey and the others are getting here at eleven, right?"

Yugi had to admit that he had completely forgotten about it. "Yep."

"Cool! I'm going to get some more food while your Grandpa is downstairs - you can finish your homework and we'll get ready to leave at half past ten!"

"Please don't go back into the-" Yugi called after her fleeing figure.

A loud clatter sounded from down the hall. Something resembling the noise made by pots and pans colliding with the floor when they were tossed aside during a search for food.

"...Kitchen."

Yugi made a face. It was going to be a long hour.

* * *

><p>So thank you SO much for reading :D You are my angel :3<p>

I'm really annoyed at myself; Yami hasn't had many lines in these first few chapters D: I promise he will come in again later :'D He is a very important character in this story ;D

Please review :'D I love you so much *glomp* And thanks again~! *squeezes you until your eyes pop and you can't read anymore*

~IA


	4. Meeting the Friends

After spending the better part of half an hour trying to match Millie's energy long enough to get her to calm down, Yugi actually managed to solve the problem by dropping the simple hint that he _wanted_ her to. After that, she announced about six times how sorry she was and that she wanted to make him happy, then seated herself on the floor of Yugi's bedroom, staring up at him like an adoring puppy while he sat at his desk.

Yugi wished he could concentrate on his homework; he really did. But with the Millennium Puzzle sitting there, acting as though everything was completely normal...it was difficult to.

He sighed to himself. It had certainly been an eventful morning, to say the least. He snuck a look at Millie out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't moved from her place on the floor and was still gazing up at him. Hesitantly, Yugi cleared his throat. "Did you...I don't know; want a book to read or something?"

Still smiling, Millie shook her head, her gold hair bobbing about ridiculously. "Uh-uh; I'm used to just sitting quietly. I never get bored."

"Never?"

She grinned. "Nope; not ever," she assured him with pride.

"That must come in handy a lot."

"It sure does."

Yugi doodled on the side of his workbook for a moment or two. "So..." He drummed his fingers against his desk. "Why did you...you know; change?"

Millie shrugged. "I wanted to."

Yugi nodded, not at all satisfied. "Fair enough."

Another question occurred to him. "The Pharaoh; what's your relationship with him like?"

Millie cocked her head to one side. "The Pharaoh?" She gave a sigh. "He's...been inside me for thousands of years; it's like he's a part of me now. I can hardly remember what it was like beforehand. He's just always been there."

Yugi swivelled on his chair to face her.

"I guess I hear him as a kind of voice inside my head; only that's not the best analogy because until now I haven't really had a head, and I didn't really hear things. It's like...he's a presence, that I always feel. Have always felt."

Yugi wished he knew what to say to her. What _could_ he say to her?

"And it's the same with you," Millie went on excitedly. "I'm connected to you in the same way I am to him; your spirit exists within your body, but in a sense, the Pharaoh's does too, now. Only it's different now that I'm in this body, because I can see and hear and feel everything from my own point of view instead of through yours."

All Yugi could do was nod. "...Cool."

"Is it eleven o'clock yet?"

Yugi checked his watch. "Not for a while."

She crawled over to his desk and stood up. Without waiting for Yugi to respond, she jumped up onto the desk and sat down again. "Okay! Tell me when it is."

* * *

><p>Yugi had to hand it to her; when Millie didn't want to talk, she didn't talk. Even with her sitting a few feet away atop his desk, Yugi was almost able to forget she was there and actually get onto his homework. Eleven o'clock crept up on them like a ninja.<p>

The multitude of voices that suddenly emerged from downstairs was enough to make both Yugi and Millie jump. Yugi quickly sprang to his feet while Millie slid delicately off the side of Yugi's desk.

"I wonder how this will go," Yugi wondered.

"It's go fine; don't be silly," Millie said simplistically. "Come on!"

Yugi stopped. "So...you're just going to...hang out with us?"

Millie looked crestfallen. "You don't want me to? I can stay here if you want – I just thought-"

"No!" Yugi assured her. "That's not it at all. It's just going to take...a bit of getting used to."

Millie bit her lip. "If you're sure...hey, when we go out, can we get ice cream? I've always wanted to eat ice cream! And nachos; that looks yummy too. Maybe we can have ice cream and nachos for lunch!"

Yugi smiled; he couldn't help it. "Okay, sure; we can get some...ice cream and...nachos."

"Ice cream and nachos? What the hell, Yuug?"

Yugi almost jumped again when he heard Joey's voice right outside the door. They must have come upstairs.

Millie had a different reaction. "Everyone's here!" she squealed with delight, half-running, half-skipping towards the door.

"No Millie, wait!" Yugi exclaimed, trying to stop her on her way past him. He failed. Millie flung open the door and instantly tackled the first person she saw – Joey – almost bowling him over.

Yugi blinked, hanging back a few feet as Millie squeezed the stuffing out of her new victim, while Téa, Tristan and Joey stood in the doorway, each of them wearing the same look of utter bewilderment.

* * *

><p>"<em>She's <em>the Millennium Puzzle?"

The five of them were now walking down the pavement at the request of Yugi that they leave the shop while he explained. Millie had resumed her limpet stance, this time on Yugi again, and was hanging onto him around the waist, muttering incoherently with her eyes closed.

"I know it sounds hard to believe..." Yugi said. "I can hardly believe it myself." Still hanging off him, Millie adjusted her grip on Yugi, completely ignoring her position as the subject of discussion. "But the Millennium Puzzle somehow managed to turn itself – herself – into a human."

"You'd think she could at least walk on her own," Téa muttered darkly, eyeing Millie's current position, clinging to Yugi's waist.

"But why?" Tristan asked, a frown upon his face.

Yugi couldn't shrug with Millie's weight hanging onto him. "I don't quite know yet; she hasn't told me."

"Yes she has!" Millie insisted, opening her eyes suddenly. She caught everyone's gaze and then closed them again, resuming her silent mutterings.

Yugi paused. "She said she just wanted to."

"What about the Pharaoh?" Téa asked, her brow knitted with concern. "Is he...okay?"

Yugi stared at the ground for a second. One of Millie's eyes opened and looked at him.

Yugi knew the amount of concern in Téa's voice over the Pharaoh shouldn't upset him; after all, Téa was allowed to worry about a friend, right?

"Yeah, he's fine; we're still connected."

Thinking about it now, Yugi realised another complication.

Although he could feel the presence of his other self, as he always did, he hadn't personally seen the Pharaoh since that morning, in the kitchen.

This unsettled Yugi.

He was used to not hearing from the spirit; when everything was calm and Yugi's days passed as nothing more than the regular routine of school and chores, there were times when they would go for weeks without exchanging words, simply because there was nothing that needed to be said.

But now? The Millennium Puzzle's sudden...transformation, was certainly a matter that needed to be addressed. But exactly how could they address it properly when the one thing that connected them was the one thing getting in the way?

If Yugi was honest with himself, he knew that everything was simply _easier_ with the Millennium Puzzle as just that; a Puzzle. If he was honest with himself, it would be better if she changed back. And the Pharaoh knew that too.

But how could they say that? How could they even say anything? By her own nature, Millie was always going to hear whatever words Yugi and Yami exchanged because she was the one who allowed them to do so.

As much as Millie insisted that nothing had changed – that she was still the Millennium Puzzle and that everything could and should carry on as normal – Yugi knew otherwise. Millie's humanity had drawn a barrier between the boy and the former Pharaoh; a barrier that would never go away. They would never be able to talk openly to one another, because they would always know that somebody else was listening.

When Yugi realised this, he felt a gentle wash of sadness rush over him. The Pharaoh had always been there, hadn't he? Yugi couldn't imagine a life now where there was nobody with whom he could share his secrets. He couldn't imagine a life where every moment that passed between him and Yami was going to be awkward and uncomfortable. Could things ever be the same with the knowledge that there was always going to be a third party?

Yugi let out a sigh. He already missed the Pharaoh. More than he had imagined he could, with him still so close to him.

"That's a relief," Joey was saying. Yugi blinked, jerking himself back into reality. "It would be bad if something had happened to him because of the Millennium Puzzle – did you say you called her Millie?"

"Mizzle!" Millie shrieked. Everyone except Yugi jumped; in a few hours, he had already grown accustomed to the Puzzle's random mood changes.

Joey laughed shakily. "Okay, then; Mizzle."

"Huzzah!" Millie exclaimed happily. Winking, she poked out her tongue at Yugi.

"Why is she wearing that?" Téa asked suddenly.

Yugi suddenly realised that she was right; he had completely forgotten that Millie was still wrapped in Yugi's blanket.

"I didn't have any girls' cl-" Yugi began to say.

"Yugi told me to," Millie said. "Do you think it's a bad idea? I can-"

Instinctively, Yugi seized her thin, olive-toned hand. "Erm...the blanket's fine," he assured her, blushing as he remembered that morning. He patted her hand. "We can get you some proper clothes later."

"You can borrow some of mine," Tea offered, smiling at Millie. "You look a bit small, though; we could buy some for you?"

"Like a shopping trip?" Millie asked, her eyes widening with wonder and excitement. "I've never been on a shopping trip! Girls like going on shopping trips, don't they? Yes they do! You can show me how it's done! Yugi, can we go on a shopping trip? Yes we can! Yay! Let's go!" She released Yugi and grabbed Téa's hand. Dragging her along, she took off ahead of them.

"M-" Yugi tried to hold her back.

"And then we can get ice cream and nachos!"

Yugi gave up and let her have her head. It was futile trying to stop her once she had an idea.


	5. Shopping

For the sake of convenience and awkwarvoidal (Which is DEFINITELY a word ;D), I've ommitted bra shopping. Meh.

* * *

><p>Within several minutes of entering the first shop in the Domino Shopping Centre, Millie had literally removed a sample of every item of clothing from its rack and one-by-one bolted up to Tea, showing the item in her hand to her with a questioning glance before dropping it and darting off for the next one.<p>

Despite the girl's complete disregard for leaving things where she found them of her utter lack of the ability to stand still long enough to actually offer her advice on the clothing she was holding, Tea didn't stray from her usual good nature, and simply kept putting everything back into its rack, an amused smile on her face.

From the front of the store, Yugi, Tristan and Joey peered in, too chicken to venture into a girls' outlet store. Content with waiting for Tea to find something that Millie liked.

Still darting erratically from rack to rack, Millie had, in reality, no idea what she was supposed to be doing. Even Yugi had never taken her on a trip such as this. It was only when Tea managed to calm her down enough to actually speak to her when they began to make progress.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Tea asked gently, her voice a completee contrast to the way Millie felt. Millie blinked, only now realising that she had absolutely no idea.

An image entered her mind; a full-length dress made of linen, from flax grown along the Nile. Adorned with all the jewels and accessories fit for a queen. That was the last item of clothing she had worn. Before...

Millie blinked, aware that Tea was still looking at her expectantly. She laughed hesitantly. "I- I really don't know..." She looked Tea up and down, considering the clothing she was wearing. "Something...? I'm not sure; something..." She sighed, wishing she could give Yugi's friend more to go on.

Tea didn't seem to mind. She just laughed good-naturedly. "Okay, don't worry about it. First off; do you want a dress or pants?"

Millie grimaced. "I don't like pants. They aren't natural, especially on girls."

Tea laughed. "Okay, we'll have a look around. Here..." Absentmindedly, she picked a few different dresses off of the racks - the ones that were in fact still _on_ the racks - and handed them to Millie. "Why don't you just try these on for starts and see how they fit? There's no rush."

Millie took them hesitantly and, after giving an excited nod, dashed for the fitting rooms. There was a resounding bonk as her forehead collided with the door, before she hurriedly pulled it open and ventured inside.

* * *

><p>Millie could see the backs of Tea's feet as she leaned against the door to Millie's room, waiting patiently.<p>

"Say, Tea?" Millie asked while she changed. "Thanks for doing this. I never actually said that, did I? No I didn't."

"You're welcome." There was a pause. Millie imagined Tea smiling. "We girls have to stick together."

"Hells to the yeah!" Millie exclaimed happily, already growing on this new catchphrase. "It must seem a bit strange to say that, though, mustn't it? I mean the thing about the girls; you aren't used to me being a girl," she observed. "Nobody is."

"No, we're not." There was an amused edge to Tea's voice that Millie liked; something friendly and nice. She was already starting to like Tea.

Millie suddenly sighed. "I guess I'm an extra wheel, though; I'm sorry I had to show up and change everything..."

Tea burst out laughing. "You have absolutely no need to be; you were always one of us to begin with. That's why everyone accepted you so easily."

Millie's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Really," Tea assured her. Her feet suddenly dissapeared from view, and Millie had to assume she had walked across to lean against the wall opposite Millie's door. "Having you around...like this, is going to be normal before you know it."

"I hope so," Millie admitted.

There was a pause. "Why...why _did_ you suddenly become...like this?" Tea asked after a pause.

Millie bit her lip. "There really wasn't any reason...things are just..._easier_ this way."

"Not for Yugi," Tea pointed out tersely. "You've made it a lot more difficult for him."

Millie's heart dropped. "Really? Have I? I have!" A tear instantly formed in the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

There was a pause. "Don't be, Millie...I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that. It was horrible of me," Tea said, her voice heavy with dismay at having caused the Millennium Puzzle anxiety.

Millie laughed tearily. "You shouldn't be sorry, Tea; you were just worried about Yugi."

A sigh.

Millie bit her lip. "He worries about you, you know. Yugi does..."

Tea's reply came with interest and excitement but a slight aura of withdrawal, as though she were trying to keep herself from becoming too involved in what Millie was saying. "Does he really?"

Millie grinned and nodded, then realised that Tea couldn't see her and spoke. "Mm-hmm!" she said excitedly. "All the time. It's kind of cute. And he gets jealous when you talk about the Pharaoh."

There was silence. Instantly regretting opening her mouth, Millie inched the door open and peered around it to see Tea staring at her with the most unreadable expression. At least, unreadable to a girl who hadn't independently read expressions in over five thousand years.

"Erm..." Millie suddenly laughed. "I tried this on, by the way," she added, stepping out into the open to reveal the dress she was wearing.

It was certainly nothing fancy; a simply little pale gold thing with two straps for sleeves and a small bow slightly off-centre at the waist. Despite this, it was a perfect fit on Millie's tiny figure, emphasising her body's curves despite her being even smaller than Yugi. It made her unusual golden hair seem completely natural. Even her ominous red and black eyes found a place as part of Millie's getup.

She gave Tea a quizzical look.

"It really suits you," the girl said, looking the dress up and down with a contented smile on her face. "I mean, wow; it's hard to find something nice on the first try."

"Yay!" Millie instantly leapt forward and flung her arms around Tea. "Let's buy it! This is fun; I like shopping. Do you like shopping? Yes you do. Come on! Let's find some other things! And then we need to buy something a little decorative; something gold. I like gold!"

* * *

><p>"Interesting new installment," Joey commented abstractly, as he, Yugi and Tristan waited outside the shop, sitting against the wall, after Yugi finally finished filling them in, in detail, of the events of that morning.<p>

Yugi nodded. "Yep; it sure will be something to get used to."

"What's going to happen with her?" Tristan wondered. "Have you told your Grandpa?"

"Not yet." Yugi sighed. "I'm sure he'll understand, it's just...I don't know."

"You'll have to tell him soon," Joey said. "If Millie's going to live with you."

"She'll have to," Yugi agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "She's the only connection I have to the Pharaoh."

"Speaking of whom," Joey added, "How is _he _dealing with all of this?"

Yugi shifted his feet sadly. "I've hardly even spoken to him since before the Puzzle changed."

Joey and Tristan looked worried. "Did you two have an argument?"

Yugi widened his eyes. "No - of course not; it's nothing like that. It's just that...well, it's impossible for us to talk without the Puzzle nearby, and she can hear everything we say."

The penny dropped. "I see," Joey announced. "So you can't talk as freely as you used to."

"See that's just the thing; we can." Yugi stared at the ground. "Millie's right; nothing has really changed. She could hear everything we said before now, we just never realised that she was listening. She knows everything about us; she can hear both our thoughts as long as she's nearby." Yugi sighed. "It's just that at the moment, we can't discuss the Millennium Puzzle without feeling like we're talking about her behind her back, knowing full-well that she can hear us."

"It's going to be hard for you two to talk to each other now," Tristan observed.

Yugi nodded sadly. "I know...I already miss the way things were before."

He sighed, twiddling his fingers. "I feel so, so, horrible for saying this, but...I wish she hadn't changed. Not because I want her to go away or because I don't like her as a human," he threw in hurriedly, "but because...well, even if she changes back, how can things ever be the same between the Pharaoh and I?"

He didn't expect a solution, and none came. Before either Tristan or Joey could speak again, he went on. "At the very least...she may be able to tell us more about the Pharaoh's past." He frowned thoughtfully. "She acts like she knows something; she just hasn't told us much yet." He scratched his chin. "I'm sure she'll tell us eventually, when she's more comfortable."

"She'd better hurry up and get comfortable, then!" Joey exclaimed. "If she knows the truth about the Pharaoh then it's not fair to just let him hang."

Yugi laughed. "There's probably more to it that meets the eye." His face grew serious. "But whatever the case, I trust her to do what she thinks is right. I mean, she _is_ the Millennium Puzzle."

"That's true." Joey sighed. "She's helped us out of tight spots tons of times."

Yugi nodded, and they lapsed into silence again. Absentmindedly, Yugi's hand crept up to the place on his chest where he was used to feeling the Egyptian artefact hang.

_Even so, I hope she tells us soon; for Yami's sake. I want to help him in any way that I can, and I...I miss the way things were._

"Ice cream and nachos!" Millie announced delightedly as she half-skipped out of the shop, jerking Yugi back to reality. Millie hurtled herself forward and onto Yugi's back as though she expected a piggyback ride. "I'm so hungry I could eat a- a...hm..." She looked thoughtful. "A pyramid! Yeah! Oh and buy the way, we bought a dress. Do you like it? Yes you do! We're buying shoes next! And a hat! And lots of accessories! Hurrah! But food first."

* * *

><p>Millie was getting used to everything; she loved it. This whole process of chewing food, swallowing it, felling it go down her throat...those fruit loops hadn't stood a chance. And the <em>shopping<em>! There was something unbelievably exciting in simply buying having something of her very own to wear - a luxury Millie had never experienced in all of her fourteen lives. She could see why girls were so drawn to it - she was already feeling a great kinship with Tea.

After she reluctantly released the unfortunate Yugi - after a somewhat..._intimidating_ glance from Tea - and started skipping alongside him, his hand still firmly clasped in her own, she felt a sudden prickle along her golden hairline. A thought, nothing like her own, rang out within her mind.

_Can I talk to you for a moment?_

For a brief second, Millie's step faltered. Then she just kept her pace, still skipping.

_Of course you can, Pharaoh._


	6. Millennium Ring

_Why are you here?_

Millie frowned. _What kind of question is that?_

Speaking to Yami wasn't the same for Millie as it was for Yugi. When Yugi spoke to him, he was speaking to a spirit sealed within the Millennium Puzzle. Millie, of course, was speaking to a spirit within herself. When Yami wasn't speaking to Yugi directly, Millie heard him, as she had told Yugi, like a voice inside her head.

_I need to understand things properly, _Yami said. _Why did you suddenly change?_

Millie scowled. _Stop asking me that! It's getting really frustrating - pout pout. I already told everyone that it's because I wanted to._

There was a pause. _Do you know about my past?_

Millie blinked, her step suddenly faltering. This was what she had been afraid of.

_You mean the past as in up until now in general or as in...Egypt? _she asked, playing for time.

_Egypt__, _he replied simply.

She bit her lip. _When you were Pharaoh?_

_Yes. _

_Five thousand years ago?_

_That's right._

_Before you lost your memory?_

Millie was met with a mental sigh. _Yes._

"I..." Millie whispered.

She was rescued by four sets of eyes suddenly turning to meet her upon making the sound. Millie let out an excited whoop. "Ice cream!" she announced happily, recognising the smell of food coming from the food court up ahead. Laughing, she tried to run ahead, practically dragging the unfortunate Yugi along with her.

He must have seen the uncertainty clouding over her features. Even though she knew he couldn't have heard her exchange with the Pharaoh – he was only able to hear Yami's thoughts through the Puzzle, and when Yami was talking to her directly, such a connection between Yugi and Yami didn't occur – there was no mistaking the quizzical emotion behind Yugi's purple eyes when he glanced at her. He suspected something had just occurred.

* * *

><p>Millie had to watch everyone else very carefully before she quite got the hang of eating from a cone. A cone which she had ordered with three scoops.<p>

It didn't take her long to devour this new delicacy of 'ice cream'. She was already bouncing off the shopping centre walls and demanding nachos before anyone had even finished half a scoop. To keep her quiet, Yugi permitted her to buy herself a second serve while everyone else finished. This one was gone in the same amount of time. It was as though Millie's stomach was a bottomless pit.

Seated a few chairs away from the conversing Téa, Tristan and Joey while the hyperactive girl buzzed around their table, Yugi bit his lip. "Pharaoh?"

A second later, Yami appeared before him, his face overshadowed by a hidden emotion. Seeing this, Millie instantly bolted to the chair opposite Yugi and rested her hand on his as though doing so would somehow...strengthen the connection.

Yugi did his best to ignore her wide, almost unblinking eyes that drilled into him and instead focused his attention on his other self.

"Whatever the case is with the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi, we still have the issue my memories," Yami said absentmindedly.

Yugi nodded, pulling out the three Egyptian God Cards. The Pharaoh was right; they were still no closer to the answer as they had been last night.

Or were they? He cast Millie a questioning glance. She still hadn't told them anything about the Pharaoh's history, and he, Yugi, was still just as convinced that she knew something.

Millie's face reddened, staring at the table. "Yeah, we do."

Yugi and Yami exchanged a glance but didn't say anything for a moment.

"Millie..." Yugi hesitated. "If you can tell us...anything at all, it would be...really helpful," he began.

A curtain of soft golden hair fell down to conceal Millie's face for a heartbeat. Then, she simply sat up straight and brushed it away. "There is nothing I can tell you, Yugi." She hesitated. "I swear..." Her fingers brushed the three god cards in Yugi's hands. "In the name of the gods." She sighed. "I want to help you – I really do. I just can't. I don't have anything left to say."

Yugi was surprised when a single, glistening tear trickled down her face.

"The truth is...I do have something to say – I have a lot to say!" She bit her lip. "Just...not yet. That's what I mean; I can't tell you, which is true. I'll tell it to you later on. Both of you. But I can't at the moment. It has to sort of...happen."

She didn't wait for an answer and instead sprang to her feet. "So what are we waiting for? Nachos! We should have gotten it before – then we could have had the two dishes together! That would have been awesome! Maybe we should just get some more ice cream!"

"What was that about?" Yugi asked, a frown crossing his face, as Millie started ushering their three companions out of their seats, receiving several disapproving glances.

Yami sighed. "We don't know any more than we did before; she knows something and won't tell us."

"We know she will eventually," Yugi pointed out.

"Let's just hope that 'eventually' comes soon enough," Yami agreed.

* * *

><p>The day was a long one, even with the company of friends.<p>

After the arduous task of finding enough clothes and other essentials to keep Millie satisfied – which included enough mock gold jewellery to fill a bathtub – and saying a reluctant farewell to his friends, Yugi finally managed to stumble in through the front door of the Game Shop, his arms laden with the part of the haul that Millie herself wasn't carrying. She followed him in a few seconds later, carrying even more than Yugi.

"It looks as though Grandpa isn't home," Yugi said, frowning at the 'Closed' sign on the door and the empty shop. "That's weird; I wonder where he is."

"He probably went out somewhere," Millie said helpfully, pushing past Yugi and bolting up the stairs. She dumped the shopping bags on the floor of Yugi's room and turned to see him following her in.

"Now what?"

He checked the time – it was nearly five o'clock. "I guess I'll try and call Grandpa to find out where he is. Then I'll have a shower," he added, his face reddening.

"Okay." Millie hesitated. For the first time since meeting her, Yugi could have sworn that she was at a loss for words.

Biting his lip, Yugi gestured over his shoulder. "The, ah, phone's in the living room. Think you'll be okay on your own in here?"

Millie giggled. "You can trust me not to trash your room."

Nodding but not completely satisfied, Yugi left her alone.

For a moment, Millie just stood there, staring at the ceiling blankly, pondering.

Then, hesitantly, she made her way over to Yugi's desk, already knowing what she was looking for.

She peered over her shoulder as though she expected him to burst back in any second. _I shouldn't do this...I really shouldn't do this. He trusts me. _

Gingerly, she pulled the bag from under the desk and unzipped it.

There was no Egyptian – as least, none that Millie knew – who wasn't obsessed with gold, and when the glimmering shapes of the other Millennium Items caught her eyes, there was nothing the girl could do except stand there, transfixed.

Yugi had four of the seven Millennium Items, including Millie herself. Despite this, Millie hadn't seen much of the Necklace, Rod and Ring at all since he had received them at the end of the Battle City tournament. Hardly daring to breathe, she removed the Necklace and Rod from the bag and gently carried them to the centre of the room. She set them on the floor in front of her, sitting cross legged.

"It's been a while," she said softly.

No reply came.

Millie bit her lip. She knew that they could hear her – they simply weren't prepared to change, as she had done. She didn't blame them; it wasn't necessary for the simple act of talking.

_Shebi...Nomti..._Millie rested a hand on each item, her mind reaching out for some kind of answer.

_Nafré..._came the soft reply, the voice laden with millennia of age. Millie's heart started pounding – an unusual sensation – at the recognition of one of her old names; the name she had been called by all but one of the other Items. A name she hadn't heard since before she was sealed away, five thousand years beforehand.

"I'm here," she whispered.

_Go, Nafré..._The voice was distinguishably that of the Millennium Necklace. _Run._

_He is here._ This next came from the Rod.

Millie blinked. "I know he is."

_Then run, Puzzle. You of all of us know to be afraid of him._

"I'm not afraid of anybody," she said simply, setting her jaw. "He can't hurt me anymore."

"I would think twice before speaking such bold words, Sheriti."

Millie's heart clenched, turning to stone right there in her chest.

Sheriti. Little maiden. There was only one person who had ever called her that.

"It's you," she breathed, taking an eternity to finally turn around.

She wanted to laugh at herself. She had known he was there – too afraid to touch him, she had simply left him in the bag. She should have dealt with him – somehow – when she had the chance.

He was stepping out of the now empty bag. Millie's blood turned to ice as she saw, for the first time in five millennia, those malicious blood red eyes. That night black hair, streaked with gold. That sun tanned skin. That utterly _perfect_ physique.

Involuntarily, Millie backed away.

"Traitor," she hissed.

"I've missed you too, little Sheriti," the Millennium Ring laughed, taking a step towards her. Her heart rate skyrocketing, Millie practically tripped over her feet in her rush to distance herself from him whilst keeping him in sight. She already knew that she was backing herself into a corner.

"Get away from me," Millie said, her voice rising in pitch. There was nowhere to run.

He laughed again, relishing her fear. "Why should I? We haven't spoken in such a long time, Sheriti. Or should I call you Haréré? Anhurit?" A sneer crossed his face. "I was certainly never one to call you Nafré –'goodness'." He chuckled. "The others didn't know you at all." Roughly, he kicked the Millennium Necklace and Rod, still laying on the floor, out of his path. Millie flinched.

"Touch them again and I'll hurt you," she snarled. He had arrived in front of her now, towering above her tiny figure. Her breathing slow and shallow, Millie tried to back away. The wall behind her didn't move; it was solid and unforgiving.

The Millennium Ring smiled in mock confusion. "Why so cold?"

Millie lashed out at his broad, bare chest in a desperate attempt to push him away. She wasn't nearly strong enough. Still laughing wickedly, he caught both hands. "You're still a feisty little one, aren't you? This is the Millennium Puzzle I remember."

"Let me go now, Ring. Or I swear by the gods, you'll wish you had," she spat.

He ignored this, his enormous hands wrapping around her tiny back. Suddenly, Millie found herself pressed against him, his scent overwhelming every other sense.

"L- let me go," she whispered, her voice faltering. "P- please."

One of his fingers found her chin, pushing her head up so that she couldn't look away. "And why would I do that?"

"You lied to all of us," Millie said, her voice trembling along with the rest of her body. "You betrayed Mahad. And the Pharaoh himself!"

He simply rolled his eyes. "And you did not, Sheriti? Were you not the one who wanted to go with me? To be with your precious Bakura?"

His words hit her like a physical blow. "L- leave him out of this!"

"How so? I would have thought he was too important." He lowered his face to be level with hers. "I did what I did for _you_ – so that the three of us could be together forever. If you hadn't betrayed _me_..."

"I would never follow you!" Millie hissed. "I wanted to help him – you wanted to hurt him. And you did – you've been poisoning his mind for five thousand years!"

"Have I?" he asked, his expression one of amusement. "Or maybe you just refuse to accept that he was evil. You know what they say in this era; love is blind."

"It would have to be if I ever saw anything in _you_!" she spat, trying to struggle free of his grasp. It was futile; her tiny petite human form was useless and weak. Against him, she was utterly powerless.

"Ah, Sheriti. You're so funny." He leaned closer to her.

"Let me go!" she pleaded, abandoning dignity. "Please, let me go."

"Or what?" He chuckled. "You needn't worry; your Bakura is in the Shadow Realm now, so I'll have to go and find his host soon enough. I'll be leaving you soon, my pretty."

Millie didn't answer.

"Of course, soon is not the same as now, is it, Sheriti?" he asked, pressing his lips against hers.

Millie had seen it coming, but there was still nothing she could do to stop him; she was completely swept away in the flow.

One of his hands pressed her to the wall, imprisoning her between two unmovable barriers. The other cupped her cheek with rough gentility.

Even if she had been able to, Millie was in too much a state of shock to move. There was no thought, no rationality. Only the Millennium Ring.

Millie didn't respond at first, not even to push him away. She held her ground, trying to keep her cool. Then, quite against her will, she found herself closing her eyes and kissing him back. The Millennium Puzzle was gone; whoever had taken her place certainly wasn't thinking at all.

And then, as soon as it had begun, it was over.

The second their lips parted, the old Millennium Puzzle was back, and no amount of strength could protect the Millennium Ring from the adrenalin behind the punch that Millie unleashed upon his face.

He staggered away from her, his hand reaching up to feel the side of his face where Millie's fist had collided with him. For the first time Millie actually noticed that he was completely naked. And then, unexpectedly, he burst out laughing. "Welcome back, Sheriti; I was beginning to think that pathetic little struggle from before was the best you had."

Millie's black and red eyes were ablaze with fury. "Stay...the hell...away from me," she panted.

For a fraction of a second, his eyes narrowed into this slits. Still standing against the wall, Millie didn't move.

Then he simply sniggered. "As you wish, _Puzzle_. But I think I should warn you that I'll be back."

"I think I should warn you that I'll be waiting."

There was a flurry of movement as the Ring bent to pick up the Necklace and Rod. Her mind instantly hurtling into a panic, Millie made a grab for them. "_No_!"

He swatted her away as though she were a housefly. Millie stumbled to the floor, letting out a gasp of pain.

"Not to worry, my love; I did say I'd be back."

She realised what he was going to do a second before he opened the window and sprang nimbly onto the sill. She watched in horror as the three Millennium Items disappeared from view.

Everything was running in slow motion. Her breath catching, Millie made a dash for the window, leaning out, searching for some sign, for anything.

"No..." Her lip trembled. "No, no, _no!_" she wailed.

It wasn't too late. She launched herself out the window after him, sliding down the side of the roof, using the drainpipe as a fireman's pole and landing with a gentle thud on the pavement outside the game shop.

There was no way to see which way they had gone, but that didn't stop her; she started running in a random direction, hoping and praying that somehow, she would find them again.

But there was nothing; no sign of them anywhere. Nothing to show for the presence only seconds ago of two age old friends and the man with whom the Millennium Puzzle had once been in love.

* * *

><p>All nicknames used in this chapter are (according to the website I got them from D:) 'Authentic Ancient Egyptian names'. Sheriti: Little girl or maiden, Nafre: Goodness, Shebi: Necklace (Lol), Nomti: Strength (I couldn't find a name that meant 'Rod' DX) and the other two aren't actually that important.<p>

I hope this chapter was okay :'D Please R&R :3 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH~!

~IA


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